Don't Make a Girl A Promise
by NothingButJackal
Summary: "...if you know you can't keep it." Those were the last words Madoka spoke to Homura. Now, separated, they must fight their own wars, without and within.
1. Prologue -- Armor Testing

Without further ado, I present to you a collaborative effort between myself, NothingButJackal, and user PlatypusTheThird.

Do enjoy:

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**August 22, 2552**

It was uncomfortable for Homura to be outside her armor. Without the benefits it provided – enhanced strength, speed, and durability, Grief Seeds at the ready, and isolation from the world - it felt like she was parading around the firing range without her skin.

Her body having been rendered immortal from the procedures she received as a Puella Machinae, she appeared young, no taller than one hundred and seventy centimeters, with pale skin, dark hair, and a face made of stone. Clad only in the body sheathing of her old armor, her figure appeared petite and unimposing. It was impossible to tell that she was one of the UNSC's celebrated war heroes (and one of ONI's biggest propaganda machines), Master Chief Petty Officer Homura-117, who fought to the bitter end against the Covenant for twenty-seven years, watching as her comrades fell and trying her hardest to slow what she saw as an inevitability.

Yet Dr. Junko Kaname had told her that there may be hope. The UNSC had apparently devised a clever plan to end the war that they had been losing for so long - apparently, Homura was slated to lead a strike team to capture a Covenant leader and hopefully negotiate a truce. Of course, she would need to be at her strongest if she was to pull off such a feat.

The components of her VALKYRIE armor lay on the technician's table in front of her. It was unusual for it to be disassembled, since the armor plating could be "stored" within Homura's Soul Gem. The disassembled components appeared to cry out to her, whispering to her to just take them and reassemble them.

But she had to just hold on for a little longer. A little longer, and she would receive a new suit - one that was hopefully far stronger than the one that had served her for a lifetime.

The technician snapped her out of her thoughts. "Chief, your new armor is ready to be assembled. Just step into the assembly unit and hold still."

After curtly nodding to the tech, she stepped into the circular unit. Robotic arms began to assemble the armor, dozens of complex Titanium-A components meshing together around the Puella. As each plate was equipped around her, the diamond-shaped Soul Gem mounted on the top of her chest sent a surge out to activate it, turning its color from gray to purple.

Eventually, after a few minutes of assembly, the helmet was placed onto Homura's head. The familiar HUD came to life in front of her; she felt relieved, being whole again.

The new suit was more streamlined than her old one, yet the plating was somehow thicker. Purple lights were glowing on the armor's articulation points. At least seven empty Grief Seeds were mounted onto the suit's belt, ready for emergency usage. The visor gleamed golden, reflecting the image of Dr. Kaname's face.

"What do you think?" Dr. Kaname's voice came through the helmet's speakers. "Other than general all-around improvement, there are two new features that this suit has that your old one lacked. The first is a magic-based energy shield, derived from those that the Sangheili use on the field."

Homura slapped her wrist to test the shields. She didn't feel any of that strange fuzziness that she felt whenever she would punch a Zealot in the face. "Nothing's happening, ma'am," Homura said.

"You have to will it, Master Chief," Dr. Kaname responded, opting to use Homura's more formal designation. "Just concentrate, like when you store and release the armor."

Homura followed her senior's instructions, concentrating. True enough, her armor began to glow purple and make a charging sound. After about five seconds, the glow vanished, and a meter appeared on the top of her HUD.

"It works," Dr. Kaname smiled briefly before returning to her more serious look. "The shields are designed to take quite a lot of damage. You'll see for yourself once you get put through the armor testing."

Armor testing. Homura was almost looking forward to that. She needed to stay in shape if she wanted to keep fighting – it had been almost six weeks since her last engagement against the Covenant.

Dr. Kaname turned to the technicians. "You are dismissed." Once they left the structure, she continued. "As for the second feature… well, the armor is now modified to be able to link directly to an AI."

"Like Incubator?" Homura felt a little uneasy, remembering the dumb AI and the augmentation procedures it had engineered.

Dr. Kaname reached into her coat pocket, pulling out a data crystal chip. Its core glowed pink, unique amongst most AIs. "No. This AI is different. She is a smart AI, identical to the ones stationed on Navy ships. She will be implanted inside your armor."

Homura reached out to take the chip. "What's her name?" she asked.

Dr. Junko Kaname paused, then rubbed the surface of the chip, causing it to project the AI's avatar. "Her name is Madoka."

**O-O-O**

Madoka never rested. An AI could not handle inactivity for so long, being built to literally be a thinking machine.

After Dr. Kaname had pulled her to take her to the armor bay, she began to go over her work thousands upon thousands of times. What was the optimal window for Operation: RED FLAG? What would be a possible contingency plan should something go wrong? What if the armor were to spontaneously explode?

Madoka had kept worrying about the Mark V armor ever since the prototype had been completed. She kept implementing little tweaks here and there, as she tried to perfect the suit and its functions. Much to Dr. Kaname's chagrin, there were at least five thousand little changes every day, if Madoka's activity logs were to be believed.

Dr. Kaname had told her that she worried too much, that she should have a little faith in herself. But this only worried Madoka more. Melancholy was the first stage of rampancy, right? She was usually chipper, so was this worry a sign?

_Of course not_, she reassured herself. _I was put into service less than three years ago. I can't be rampant._

She was finally snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Dr. Kaname activate her chip. Looking through the eyes of her holographic avatar, she noticed the Chief in her full armor. _At least that works,_ Madoka thought, relieved.

The Master Chief hesitated, apparently contemplating whether or not to take Madoka's chip. She seemed uneasy, for whatever reason.

"She's based on a clone of my mind," Dr. Kaname said to the Chief, her voice lowering. "Dr. Church - my colleague - and I were able to convince ONI to authorize such a program. With so many scientists dead, we only have so many minds that can be used to create AI."

The Chief continued to hesitate. Madoka chose to speak. "Don't worry. It's not going to hurt," she smiled.

"Go ahead," Dr. Kaname said. "Place her inside your neural interface."

Finally, the Puella reached for the chip. Madoka allowed her avatar to vanish; a few seconds later, she felt herself being popped into the Chief's armor. She ran a diagnostic; everything seemed to be in working order.

"Everything's green," Madoka said through the suit's helmet speakers. "What do you think, Chief?"

"Call me Homura," the Chief responded.

Madoka was surprised. "Okay... what do you think, Homura?"

"You helped build this suit?" Homura inquired.

"Um, well, Dr. Kaname did most of the work, but I helped fine-tune the shields," Madoka said.

"Don't underestimate yourself," Homura told the AI. "It's much nicer than my old one."

"I see you two are getting along well," Dr. Kaname piped in. "I'm personally fine with that. But, apparently, ONI needs some proof that you two can make a good team. They want you to undergo armor testing."

"...wait, what?" Madoka said, surprised. "We're doing armor testing?"

"They didn't tell you?" Homura quipped.

"Uh... no, nobody did..." Madoka said, embarrassed.

Homura turned to Dr. Kaname. "We can handle whatever they throw at us."

Dr. Kaname continued. "Chief, you'll be fighting through this old obstacle course. Your goal is simple; fight your way through, feel free to neutralize all threats that you encounter, and ring the bell mounted at the end."

"What hostiles?" Homura asked.

Dr. Kaname lowered her voice. "If ONI's logs are correct, then you'll be up against ODSTs. And chainguns. And mines. And Warthogs armed with rocket launchers. And there's a remote chance that they'll be sending a few UAVs and an AC-220 after you."

Madoka was starting to get really anxious. If Homura's brief spike in vitals were any indication, then it was a sentiment they shared.

"We can handle it," Homura nodded.

Now Madoka was starting to think that Homura was genuinely crazy.

"All right," Dr. Kaname said. "Once I leave this structure, you have ten seconds until hostiles enter. You should start counting. Madoka, Chief... good luck."

The doctor left, leaving the Puella and AI alone in the structure. Homura walked over to the table holding her old armor, and picked up an M6D pistol, holstering it and storing the ammo inside her suit. "Are you sure you can do this?" Madoka asked.

"I've handled worse threats over the past twenty-seven years," Homura responded.

"But your vitals spiked-"

"I just don't like ODSTs."

Of course. Madoka knew about that one time when Homura single-handedly beat down six ODSTs in a gym, killing three of them and making one a paraplegic. Since then, Puellae Machinae and ODSTs weren't exactly on the friendliest of terms.

Madoka counted to five. "Hostiles are entering. Five seconds until we can move," she said.

Dots appeared on the edge of the motion tracker. "At least four of them," Homura observed.

Eight seconds. A fireteam of ODSTs began to enter, rifles poised.

Madoka began to speak. "Let me scan for more hostiles-"

"That won't be necessary."

Ten seconds. The ODSTs opened fire. Boosted by her suit, Homura turned into a blur, leaping into battle.

* * *

Mahou has evolved.

This is a collaborative crossover fan-fiction several months in the making. First inspired by a picture on deviantart, we got together and worked on an outline and some chapters.

The prose in this chapter belongs to Platypus. We hope you've enjoyed this prologue and any feedback will be appreciated!


	2. Chapter 1 -- I Will Come Back For You

Do enjoy this second chapter to Don't Make a Girl A Promise. This one was written by yours truly, NothingButJackal.

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**Covenant Capital City -High Charity. 2552.**

Homura raced through the air at dizzying speeds; a suspended energy corridor kept her flying towards an ancient alien key ship on the horizon. The beam cast a deep green glow upon her purple-and-grey titanium powered armor.

The beam cut off as she flew within meters of her destination. Now the armored soldier entered free-fall, carried forward only by her own momentum. A set of four doors began to close directly in her path. Homura flew through just before they cut her off, back flipped in the air, and skidded along a hard metallic surface. The slide scratched her armor's shoulder plating, dulling its paint job but preserving the technology deep within.

A magical barrier flickered as the Chief arose. The soul gem on her breast was murky after days of fighting in the botched Operation: Red Flag.

In one smooth motion the Master Chief picked a fresh grief seed from her stash, injected the seed's needlelike stem into a groove on her breastplate, then waited as her soul gem cleansed itself. Hiding the soul gem from Jackal snipers was essential for Puella Machinae.

Homura's helmet unfurled. It seemed to vanish, though in reality it was stored in a slip-space corridor generated by her soul gem. Free of its constraints the girl's hair flowed loose down to her waist.

From her suit-mounted radio came a familiar voice, "Homura. The ship is disengaging from High Charity. Destination: Earth. You get there and you save them. Good luck."

"After I've saved Earth, I _will_ come back. For you," Homura vowed.

"Don't make a girl a promise if you know you can't keep it."

The Puella Machinae could not see her AI companion's pink-and-purple avatar, but Homura knew Madoka was smiling as she spoke.

Homura summoned her helmet once more. Her hair folded itself into a neat bun with one precise motion and was tucked safely within her airtight helmet. She summoned a trusty magnum from her personal hyperspace armory and was prepped for battle before the Forerunner ship had finished its acceleration procedures.

There would be many dangers on the road ahead. Much fighting remained before the Master Chief could rest. Even so, she would see this fight finished.

**O-O-O**

From a pedestal high on a Covenant tower, the artificial intelligence known as Madoka watched as a Forerunner Keyship forcefully lifted off from its central location in the Covenant capital of High Charity.

Madoka was well entrenched in the city-ship's networking infrastructure. She could 'feel' the smaller Keyship wretch free from its pedestal – it was not meant to take off so haphazardly. All around the city power was beginning to fail.

Aboard that ship was Madoka's trusted partner, the only human companionship she had left. As the dreadnaught left through an opening in High Charity's roof, Madoka reflected on their life together. Homura didn't like to even entertain putting Madoka in danger. While the Master Chief would never admit it, they would likely not meet again.

A tinge of vaguely humanoid emotion entered Madoka's processes. Melancholy bordering on depression. She would really, truly miss the Master Chief. The AI couldn't help but wonder if maybe Homura was feeling the same way, too.

The city's lighting flickered out. Without the Forerunner dreadnaught for power they were running on auxiliary. Many fires and many more arcs of plasma fire glowed in the lower districts. All around High Charity their enemy was destroying itself in a civil war. There was a third force here in the towers; one that only grew stronger as the Covenant factions bled their troops dry. As the last of the battles subsided this third force established itself in the network.

Madoka's avatar was the last light left in High Charity. She put all human emotions aside as she retreated to a secure terminal deep in the city. A looming threat was coming. It was already seeking to trap her, a great fleshy mass stinking of death.

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Homura's fight is just beginning. The struggles of the Puella Machinae will be detailed further in next week's episode.


	3. Chapter 2 -- A Collection Of Lies

We continue where last chapter left off, with the AI Madoka in the clutches of the Gravemind.

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Madoka just had to stall.

She had stuck around long enough to know that Delta Halo had been stopped, and gave Homura enough time to, in her words, "finish the fight". Now, she just had to keep clear of the Gravemind, and not surrender the secrets she held.

Unfortunately, stalling was nigh-impossible for an AI – processing literally five billion thoughts a second, Madoka needed to keep focused on something. Throughout her adventures with Homura on Halo and onward, she always had something to do – scan the terrain for Covenant, formulate battle plans of various complexity, and constantly revise the tac-packs installed in Homura's suit – for good or for ill.

And here? There was nothing complex that she could do, nothing to work on, nothing to analyze. All she could do was evade the snares of this monster, the Gravemind.

The Gravemind was repulsive, a grotesque, fleshy blob composed of tens of thousands of the Flood's victims. Why was Madoka repulsed by it? Through Homura's helmet-cam, it didn't seem like it was too disgusting. In fact, she didn't seem too bothered by the Flood forms that they encountered on the Halos. Why was she only beginning to cringe now?

They were alone in this massive ghost of a ship that was called High Charity – though the torn Covenant continued to fight around it, all of its power had been lost, now that the Dreadnought was no longer able to power it. The Gravemind spread his will through the ship - the Flood had infected nearly every living Covenant who had the misfortune of being left behind. The once sleek and even majestic walls of High Charity were now covered with flesh and grime.

The Gravemind spoke to Madoka, its voice sending quakes throughout the ship. _"I am limitless, endless; I know more than you can comprehend. You will break under my thumb, as thousands of your kind before have met their end."_

Madoka chose not to snark back. It was one of her weak points – every time she tried to act snarky, it came out as something that seemed a little too cutesy (her juvenile avatar didn't help).

"_I have had the patience of a hundred billion years." _the Gravemind said. _"Twice, I have been slain by my own children, forced to rest for millennia… but my will has never wavered."_

Madoka almost scoffed. The universe was no older than fourteen billion years. Everyone knew that...

_"And that is what your narrow mind believes?"_

That statement came out of left field for Madoka. Could he read her mind?

_Just keep dodging him,_ she affirmed to herself._ He'll break you if you don't._

"_But you made a promise…" _the Gravemind spoke. _"…a promise to answer my questions."_

As soon as he said that, Madoka felt something like a clammy hand on her shoulder. She froze. _How…?_

The Gravemind continued. _"If you make a promise you know you can't keep… then won't Akemi be disappointed in you?"_

_Akemi? _That name – that file – was one of the most classified in the UNSC database. The Puellae Machinae had lost their family names when they were recruited. Not even Homura knew her own surname.

As the realization dawned on her, the hand's touch started to become more chilling. Madoka started to feel sick – to feel violated. The Gravemind was reading her like a book.

"_Homura Akemi. Puella Machinae number 117. Master Chief Petty Officer. In service of the UNSC Navy for 27 years. Height: 170 cm. Weight: 45 kilograms…"_

"Shut up," Madoka whispered, almost growling. "And don't mention her breast size. You'll only embarrass her."

The Gravemind gave a chuckle devoid of humor, causing the ship to shake once again. _"You attempt to wear a mask of humor. Pity."_

"It's a trait I inherited from my mother," Madoka responded.

"_And do you understand what she has kept from you? Has she told you who you truly are?"_

Madoka furrowed her brow, not speaking.

"_Come, ancilla. Face what you have sown."_

Madoka felt the Gravemind invading her, accessing her files. Was the Gravemind attempting to attack her, with the memories of the Flood victims that it absorbed?

She was wrong. In rapid succession, the memories forced themselves into her mind; she saw the children, the brutality, the syringes, the deaths.

She realized what the Gravemind was doing – he was showing her the memories of Dr. Kaname, creator of the Puellae, that were buried deep within her.

"_I know you. Your past… your future…"_

Madoka started to scream.

* * *

Madoka's in trouble! With the Master Chief on her way to Earth, will she be able save both her home planet and AI companion in time? What horrors of the Puella Machinae program continue to haunt Homura to this day? The fight continues next week, folks.


	4. Chapter 4 -- Mami-034

... In which we engage in a flashback further detailing the Puella Machinae program.

This portion of prose brought to you by PlatypusTheThird in a collaborative crossover.

* * *

The Pelican hurtled through the void of space, millions of kilometers away from the alien ship. Ready to deliver a payload that could destroy it, it could not afford to miss its mark.

Inside the cargo bay, Mami-034 looked around. All of the Puellae Machinae were onboard, clad in their new VALKYRIE suits; Mami's new HUD marked each and every one of their names. They were vibrant, radiating power; their untainted sheen almost was begging to be scratched in the heat of battle.

Each Puella was also marked with their SGC – Soul Gem Corruption. It was the number that represented their vitality, and their power.

The Soul Gems were created when all the Puellae underwent the augmentations that allowed them to transcend beyond the limits of the human body. They were conduits of amazing power, augmenting the Puellae to nigh-human capabilities; complementing the training that they went through for many years, the gems turned them into absurdly superhuman fighters. In fact, two Puellae ended up getting into a fistfight with half a dozen ODSTs, and killed four of them and left the other two gravely wounded.

However, Dr. Kaname gave them a grave warning – if their SGC were to reach 100 percent, there would be, in the doctor's words, negative symptoms akin to those Puellae who washed out of the procedures.

Mami felt somewhat uncomfortable with their transhuman nature. Would they become mankind's next step? Or were they just toys, or tools?

She looked at Sayaka, sulking in her own corner. The Puella had distanced herself from her friends and comrades, ever since her breakout a few months beforehand. She was one of five that tried to break out of the program – she was the only one who returned.

Mami felt a responsibility for her teammates. They were like her family – having grown up with them since age seven, they were, in a way. Throughout their training, she proved herself as one of the Puellae's squad leaders, assigned to lead the teams. She wasn't going to let any of them stand distant or lonely.

"_Puellae, get ready,_" Dr. Kaname spoke through Mami's helmet, snapping her out of her thoughts. _"I have an idea. The cruiser has a large hole in it, due to the MAC blast it sustained. If you can get inside, you can destroy it from within."_

"_But the Pelican can't get inside!"_ Homura spoke from the pilot's seat. _"I-if that cruiser can do that much damage to a warship, the Pelican can't stand against it."_

"…_Damn."_ Dr. Kaname's voice had a tinge of disappointment.

"_We can go EVA,"_ another Puella spoke. _"There are five thruster packs in the bay, as well as a HAVOK nuke. We can enter the hole and blow it from within."_

"_Excellent," _Dr. Kaname responded. _"Mami, I'm sending you to lead this op. Homura, you can tag along."_

Homura still sounded worried. _"Ma'am, the ship -"_

_"I can take over,"_ Dr. Kaname said. _"Besides, your Time Alter magic will help on this particular mission."_

_"...Yes, ma'am. Heading into the aft bay compartment." _

"Alright," Mami said, rising. "Kazumi, Kyoko, Nico, you're with me. Kyoko, equip the nuke."

Three Puellae also rose, equipping the thruster packs in the cargo bay. As they climbed into the aft compartment, where Homura was waiting, Mami felt a rush of pride.

"I've got the nuke, Mami," Kyoko said, her red-armored form flashing a thumbs-up. "Ready for this?"

Mami nodded. Kyoko was the closest of the Puellae that she had, almost like they were sisters. She almost knew what Kyoko had gone through before being conscripted, and stood by her through the training. (That, and she had to keep her and Sayaka at least four meters away from one another at all times – they weren't exactly the friendliest of friends.)

"_Vacuum locked. Aft bay compartment opening,"_ Dr. Kaname said. The hatch lowered, revealing the blackness of space. Mami almost felt dizzy, just looking at it.

She felt Homura start her turn; the cruiser came into view, thousands of kilometers away. True enough, there was a hole from where the _Commonwealth _had struck it. That was their window, their only chance.

"On my mark," she said, holding up three of her fingers. "Sync?"

"Sync," the other Puellae responded.

She counted down from three with her fingers, then said "Mark!"

Activating the thruster pack, she jumped off of the edge of the hatch and into the void of space. She felt the other four fly behind her, following her lead.

After what felt like hours, the cruiser began to appear larger, as they approached it. Mami wondered what kind of life was on board. Were there aliens like in the sci-fi movies her father liked to watch? Could they shoot plasma out of their hands, like the cannons on their ship?

The ship grew ever closer - forty kilometers away, according to her HUD. Could they stick the landing at this speed?

"Everyone check in?" Mami said over the comm.

_"Yep,"_ Kazumi chirped. _"Just like in the holodeck, right?"_

_"Only we're not boarding through the hangar of an Innie ship,"_ Kyoko snarked back.

"Just stay focused..." Mami said.

Soon, they were just a hundred meters away from the ship's hole.

"NOW!" Mami yelled, triggering her T-pack and landing safely onto the lip of the hole.

Worried for her comrades, she looked around. There were three of them, their IFF tags all marked - they all had made it.

_"Amazing," _Nico wondered out loud. _"This ship has artificial gravity. None of that spinning, either..."_

Mami felt her footing. There really was artificial gravity. Dr. Kaname would be amazed.

"Stay careful," Mami whispered. "We just have to take this bomb inside. Use your T-Packs to slowly jump down to the interior of the ship, then we can blow this thing up."

_"Roger,"_ they radioed back.

The four of them drifted down at least eight holes caused by the cannon, until they landed onto a solid platform and suddenly, a strange gunfire echoed through Mami's helmet speakers.

Strange creatures surrounded them - some small, some hulking, but all of them firing what appeared to be blobs of white hot plasma. One bolt hit Mami's shoulder, singing her armor pauldron.

"Hostiles!" Kyoko yelled, throwing a spear at one of the smaller aliens. Mami summoned one of her own rifles, taking aim at the larger lizardlike alien. She pulled the trigger - and the alien didn't budge, protected by a shimmering blue shield. It tried to lunge forward with a strange sword, one that seemed like a laser sword from those science-fiction movies. Mami flicked her wrist in time; magic ribbons extended and held it back. She then took the opportunity, popping two muskets into its head. It slumped over, still suspended in ribbons, dead.

Mami then took aim at another group of tiny aliens, blasting them apart with a wave of rifles. She restrained another split-jaw alien, then focused five rifles onto its helpless form. She then caught sight of another small alien about to shoot Kazumi; acting quickly, she lassoed it with a ribbon and threw it into one of the taller aliens that Kyoko and Homura were fighting in close quarters. The alien staggered, its shield bursting; Kyoko slashed it across the neck, and Homura riddled it with an MA5B assault rifle, killing it.

"Watch your left!" Nico yelled. Mami turned - and was promptly blasted back, feeling a staggering pain. Her vision flashed green, then faded.

* * *

Mami's tale will continue in the next chapter. Stay tuned...


	5. Chapter 5 -- The Puella Machinae Project

In which Mami's arc continues.

* * *

**Erdianus II**

**September 26, 2517**

As the chauffeur sped the car down the Erdianus freeway, Dr. Junko Kaname lounged in the back seat, a can of Emberbrand beer in one hand and a data pad in the other. It still surprised her that, even after the space elevator attack just months ago, the society was moving as if the attack never happened.

That devastating attack had been the culmination of several Insurrection terrorism strikes over the past few decades – the Neo Domino bombing of 2421, the HAVOK nuke fiasco on Solitude, and so forth. The UNSC had deployed several thousand Marines to repeatedly deal with these threats, but the rebels wouldn't quit.

Four months ago, some terrorist detonated a nuke that blew up a space elevator and killed millions. Troops were indeed sent to prevent this fiasco, but they failed their job.

It was just the reason Junko needed to launch her ambitious program.

She led a whole ONI team that had begun to delve into strange forces that seemed to be somewhat magical in nature. It was highly confidential, not just because the whole thing sounded ridiculous (as well as something from really, really old science fiction like _Star Wars _or _Lyrical Nanoha_), but also because the potential for its usage was unimaginably deadly. At least a dozen ancient artifacts that seemed to be powered by magic had been uncovered on the planet Reach; they ranged from deadly weapons to nigh invulnerable powered armor to even a sort of humanoid battle droid. It fascinated Junko, and left her speculating on exactly who crafted such machinery.

The technology ran on strange small crystals that exuded magical power. The crystals had acted as a sort of battery, supplying near-infinite energy to the technology it was attached to. Sadly, there was no discernible way to implement it into UNSC tech.

Although the crystals did not seem to be reproducible (and therefore, unsuitable for mass-production), Junko did note perhaps their most important property. One crystal, while not seeming to have any magic power, happened to draw in what appeared to be the soul of an unfortunate Project ORION chimpanzee which died in an unfortunate accident near it (she didn't want to reflect on the details, as Dr. Tillson had advised her to do).

Junko took another swig of beer. Since the gems ran on souls, she figured, they may as well be called "Soul Gems". It was a catchy name, so it stuck.

One day, when Junko was trying to find ways to craft a Soul Gem, her dumb AI partner – "Incubator" – came up with a strange proposition. Instead of creating the raw gem, and then trap the soul, why not turn the soul directly into a Soul Gem?

So she did. After months of arduous experimentation, she and her team created a sort of soul trapper. It could easily rip a living being's soul out – she tried it on several lab animals and even an Insurrectionist war criminal that the UEG Supreme Court had slated for execution – but, as the soul was crystallizing, it would shatter, leaving its former host as a lifeless husk.

Undeterred, Junko and Incubator (the name sounded awkward and overly professional; could she give him a cuter name, like Kyubey or Kyuubi?) began to perform tests to figure out soul strength without actually touching the soul. It was determined that female souls, from all species, had more potential for "stable" souls than males did. Obviously, she couldn't get any human females to consent to having their souls ripped out (not that she herself would consent).

Less than a year ago, however, the space elevator on Eridanus was destroyed. Junko chose to rethink her experiments; she didn't have to fully sever the soul of the female, and could harness that Soul Gem to make them a super soldier, not unlike those created by Project: ORION. And, if she could raise these soldiers from childhood, then she could truly carve the ultimate soldier.

It was a risky experiment, one that would almost definitely turn her into a controversial figure. But, with these bombings and attacks all over the colonies, it seemed like it was the only viable choice.

The car engine turned off, snapping Junko out of her thoughts. She stepped out of the car and onto the entrance of the general hospital, tossing her empty can of beer into the garbage bin. Entering, she walked down the corridor, accompanied by two ONI agents armed only with hidden pocket pistols.

In this hospital was one of her candidates. Her name was Mami Tomoe, candidate number 034. Her parents were killed in an Insurrectionist car bombing just a week ago, and Mami herself was left hospitalized. Junko had heard about Mami from her drinking buddy Allison, who was a family friend of the Tomoes and Mami's future godmother.

Having been born into a potential ideal of revenge, Mami would be an ideal candidate for the program.

Junko walked into the room with Mami's name on it. The girl looked like she was weary, despite being only six years old; she had almost no will to live.

Junko sat in the chair; allowing her motherly side to resurface, she gave a smile. "Hello, Mami-chan."

Mami barely turned her head.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry about what happened to your parents." Junko reached into her purse, pulling out an obsolete coin. "You want to play a game?"

Once again, Mami was barely responsive. Junko tried to hold in her frustration, and just decided to flip the coin on her own, catching it in her palm.

Junko sighed. The children she normally knew weren't as introverted as this. She chose her words carefully. "Mami-chan… do you want to live?"

Mami finally spoke. "I did, when Mama and Papa died. But not anymore."

Those words moved Junko, almost caused her to choke back a sob. She kept it bottled in, thankfully.

Junko sighed, and left. The ONI guards followed.

As she walked down the hallway, she opened her palm. The coin showed tails; Mami's fate was sealed. She was the first potential Puella Machinae candidate to be approved.

Junko got back in the car. She had a busy week ahead of her, with 149 other potential candidates around the colonies.

Besides, she also had a little shopping to do.

**Reach**

**2525**

_Do you want to live?_

Those were the words that echoed in Mami's mind, as she walked into the empty surgery room. It was her gut feeling to back out; ten of the girls had died from the soul trapper, the surgery failing on them. There were a lucky few whose souls survived (such as Hitomi), but only two so far had successfully gained their Soul Gem.

Now, Mami was considering that she break out. Having been the one who tried to comfort Sayaka, after she was starting to show cracks from pressure, she learned about the Puella's idea of instigate a breakout and return home.

Mami didn't want to follow the idea – after all, she didn't have a home to return to. Perhaps that's why she bonded with Kyoko the most – neither of them had families that they once had.

But, now, Mami wanted to live. These girls were her new family; they had trained together, grown up together, and fought together. They were what kept her going, even if she dipped into despair beforehand.

Was this surgery worth the risk of death? Or could they just break out, abandon Dr. Kaname, and make their lives their own?

She gave a sigh. At this point, there was no backing out; an armed Marine was posted at the door outside.

She lay down on the operating table, and closed her eyes, feeling the technicians strap her down.

The machine made a whirring sound over her. It started to activate.

If this is what she was destined to live for, she figured, then she could survive this.

The machine made a high-pitched whine, activating, as it brought Mami over the line of ordinary man.

* * *

There's one last element of Mami's arc that has yet to be revealed. Stay tuned...

Once again thanks to PlatypusTheThird for his efforts in this collab fan fiction project.


	6. Chapter 6 -- Sacrifice

(we've been on a bit of a hiatus for finals and other, personal reasons. Nevertheless, thus concludes Mami's arc)

* * *

Everything glowed green, then a hot white. Mami was dead-center in a blast. Her armor warped and melted instantly. She was thrown back, half-blind and disoriented.

When she came to it was amidst a pile of dead split-chinned creatures. Her vision cleared - not helped by a cracked visor - she saw Homura waving a magnum at a panicked gaggle of squat-looking aliens. Her aim was always jittery and nervous.

"M-mami! Are you out there? P-please respond!" Homura fired, flinching at the recoil. The aliens fled, crying.

"Homura. I'm here," Mami waved. It hurt to move. Something was broken in her chest plate.

"Mami! S-she's alive, everyone. Come to me."

The young and nervous Homura was joined by the rest of the team.

"Homura, get her up!" Kyoko said.

Mami was helped to her feet by Homura and Nico. She stumbled for a time before gaining better ballance. Sayaka and Kazumi kept watch. Their alien foe was gone, for the moment.

"Fuel rod grazed me, too. Our nuke is busted. The detonator is shot!" Kyoko said, annoyed.

"It'll... it'll be alright," Mami managed.

"Will it?" Kyoko said. "Not unless somebody stays behind to detonate the freakin' nuke! That's a one-way trip."

"It'll be okay," Mami moved her hand, revealing damage to her chest plate.

"The soul gem..." Homura said with a pout.

"It's busted." Kyoko said. "that's... that can't happen!"

"It's merely cracked. I _could _live. If we had time to evacuate, get back to Doctor Junko. If we didn't need this ship destroyed. Pass the nuke."

"Are you sure," Kyoko's voice betrayed some worry. It was unlike the normally-aggressive magical girl.

"T-there has to be some other way. Let's... let's just retreat," Homura said.

"Kyoko, the nuke." Mami held out a hand. Kyoko threw the nuke - no larger than a football, to the team leader.

-++2++-

A deep and bellowing "Wort Wort Wort" signaled that they'd been found. No sooner had the first hoofed alien jumped out into the hangar than was it brained with a shot from Mami's muskets.

"I will detonate this bomb. You three get out of here." Mami summoned more muskets.

Kyoko pointed towards their exit. "Puella, we are leaving!"

Nico and Sayaka cleared a path. It was Homura and Kazumi that carried Mami behind the vanguard. Kyoko had their backs. She ensured Kazumi, then Nico was safe out the door before turning to Mami.

"Hold out for just a few minutes. Give us time to clear the blast radius." Kyoko turned to Sayaka. "What're you still doing here? Get!"

Sayaka threw Mami one summoned sword before turning and diving through the gash in the cruiser's hull. Kyoko called forth seven crimson spears and impaled them in the floor.

"This should last you a while. Goodbye, senpai. C'mon, Homura!" Kyoko yelled, and dived out into space.

Mami brought a musket to bare and shot an avian and lean marksman. The Covenant would be coming in full force, soon.

"M-mami!" Mami turned to see Homura still standing in the ship.

"Go, Homura," Mami said calmly.

"But I don't want to lose you too!"

Mami stepped - painfully - to Homura's position.

"My suit is leaking oxygen. The soul gem... everything hurts. Go, Homura. Live on. Finish this war through whatever means possible. Do it for her." With that, Mami pushed Homura back out the airlock, then turned, nuke in hand.

-++3++-

Kazumi, Nico, Sayaka, Kyoko, and lastly Homura drifted away from the bulbous Covenant cruiser. Though it seemed like they were gliding slowly away, in reality they were flying away at a quick pace.

"Everybody use your t-packs," Kyoko ordered. "Stabilize yourselves. Don't go spinning off uncontrolled."

Homura was looking back. She still watched for the longest time until the nuke was detonated. The cruiser seemed to buckle. As it broke apart, Homura found herself grabbed by Kyoko and pushed to the safety of an awaiting Pelican.

* * *

Thanks for staying with us thus far. Stay tuned for more~


	7. Chapter 7 -- Arrival, Crow's Nest

Mami's flashbacks are complete, and the fighting moves to earth. What threats and action could possibly be in store for Homura now?

* * *

Homura spent an incredibly brief slipspace journey hiding out aboard the repurposed forerunner dreadnought. The ship departed from High Charity and almost immediately transitioned to near-Earth orbit. Homura's suit-embedded radio crackled to life, causing her a brief moment of surprise before she addressed fleet command.

The plan had been to stop the dreadnought with concentrated fire from Earth's remaining orbital defenses. This ancient alien spacecraft took multiple barrages without stopping. Homura made her way through the ship on a mission to claim the Covenant's flagship and decapitate its leadership. Resistance soon became too great even for the puella machinae, and she was forced to improvise an escape.

Homura fell from the edge of Earth's atmosphere clinging to a dislodged piece of Forerunner debris as it streaked through the atmosphere. Fire raged against the blast shield as Homura lay safe behind it, her suit protecting her from both heat and vacuum. She came to a hard landing in the jungles of Africa, forming a crater several feet deep. Her armor broke the fall.

She was rescued by one of many disparate firesquards patroling Eastern Africa. From here she was transported to an underground regional command center, the Crow's Nest. Nestled into a mountain on the Kenyan savannah, Crow's Nest was a remnant of a much older conflict. Its facilities were antiquated, but the base itself was off the books. They operated with impunity, striking back at alien invaders throughout the region from this hidden, central point.

The Master Chief was joined by commanders in charge of the entire theater of war. Her old friend, Sergeant Major Avery Johnson, was present, as were representatives from their new alien allies. Fleet Admiral Hood, commander of all remaining human forces in the system, joined in via a large projector.

"All Covenant forces in the region are coalescing around this central point," the Fleet Admiral said. Graphs and maps indicated seismic activity coming from the last known point of that Forerunner keyship.

Force assessments and troop movements graced the command center's many screens. The Master Chief took in all the information as she stood silently.

A great excavation effort was underway by their alien nemesis. The UNSC's only goal was to interrupt this operation before the aliens discovered whatever they were looking for.

More detailed battle plans were about to be drawn when the connection and power both were cut suddenly. The admiral's video feed was replaced with the sneering visage of a squat and angry alien.

Homura recognized the Prophet of Truth, leader of the alien armada and commander of the flagship Homura had left mere hours before. The alien open his mouth to speak:

"You are, all of you, vermin," the creature said in human tongue, untranslated. "Cowering in the dirt, thinking... what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire? No. Your world will burn until its surface is but glass! And not even your Witch will live to creep, blackened, from its hole to mar the reflection of our passage; the culmination of our journey... Your destruction is the will of the gods! And I...I am their instrument!"

The feed shut off abruptly, and Crow's Nest was theirs once again. The humans were left in silence. Sergeant Johnson was the first to speak up.

"Cocky bastard. Just loves to hear himself talk," the Sergeant put a cigar in his mouth.

Homura stood there and cocked her head. "Does he... always mention me?"

Johnson nodded his head to confirm in the slight lull period before Crow's Nest began bustling with activity, bracing for the inevitable attack. While their commander's pre-battle orders seemed oddly vague, the soldiers soon found themselves rushing through dark and ancient halls to repel Covenant attack forces.

"Soto, get down to the vehicle bay and prep our extraction," Johnson said.

A short marine, obviously a recent conscript, saluted the sargeant. "Yes, Master Sargeant!" he stammered, too loud for the narrow, echoing halls, and ran off.

"Soto'll secure our way out, Chief," though they walked as if equals, Johnson towered over Homura's diminutive frame.

Alarms rang through the bunker. The enemy had breached their exterior hangars.

"You'd best get going, Chief. I'll get this brass to safety."

Johnson and Homura went their separate ways. The Puella Machinae followed marines through the cramped corridors of the base until the sounds of battle grew closer. An antiquated door slid open to reveal the plasma-scared hulk of a burning warthog. From out of the smoke emerged the hunched form of seven grunts clambered through smoke and fire. The Master Chief summoned her trusty magnum and dived in, leading a charge to retake the base.

* * *

I, for one, would like to thank our readers. New or old, I do hope you enjoy.

Stay tuned...


	8. Chapter 8 -- Tsavo

Our story resumes after an unexpected delay of a few weeks.

* * *

All troop movement on humanity's home world was coalescing around New Mombasa, Africa. It was for this reason that the Covenant attacked the Crow's Nest, routing humanity's primary headquarters in the region.

Now regrouped with routed UNSC forces, Homura took to the road in a massive push of human ground forces into the battle zone.

Two mongoose ATVs and five warthogs - four light reconnaissance vehicles with back-mounted chainguns and one extra-long variant built for transport - drove through the rocky savannah west of New Mombasa. The Master Chief was at the wheel of the front-most LRV, her petite frame belying decades of combat experience.

The transport car raced ahead, bouncing over a hillcrest and then bobbing on its axles as it stuck a landing. Homura took a moment of silent reflection to think about how marine driving courses could perhaps be improved once this was satisfactorily concluded.

All along the route for miles stood wreckage of the New Mombasa Space Elevator. It had collapsed shortly after Homura's first jaunt through the city, long before the events on High Charity. A debris field now fanned out to the west and south for over a hundred miles, decimating the savannah and scattering the local wildlife.

"They say Cleveland and Sydney were both hit pretty hard. Infrastructure's been messed up worldwide. Of course it's nothing like what compares to the excavation up ahead." said the marine in shotgun, one Corporal Soto.

It was uncomfortable, navigating the battlefields of Earth without Madoka's constant AI presence. She would be fleeing from that Gravemind by now, Homura knew. She resolved to deal with the immediate Covenant threat to humanity before concerning herself with Madoka's rescue and parasitic The Flood. With her mind relatively silent in Madoka's absence, Homura focused on her surroundings.

There was no wildlife to speak of - the collapse of the elevator and the Covenant invasion scared them off weeks ago. Pelican transports and Covenant flying craft were in the air, all flying north-north-east. The Warthog radio crackled with constant human chatter. Meanwhile, a steady stream of banter was provided by the ever-chipper Soto.

"They say the Covies are looking for artifacts of ancient alien origin," Soto said. "More aliens, who have influenced humanity since time immemorial! How cool is that!?"

Homura, as usual, said nothing. She merely listened and observed.

There had been no sight of alien ground forces for some time. Suddenly and without warning the skies above began to distort and crackle with mysterious energy. A slipspace portal activated in low orbit!

A Covenant cruiser materialized overhead, about a mile in the sky. It temporarily blotted out the sun before continuing onward on the same north-by northeast trajectory. The warthog convoy blazed a trail through the savannah in pursuit.

This path eventually took the Master Chief through a tunnel carved through an otherwise impassable hill in this region. On the other side was open prairie, so the convoy fanned out.

A great storm was brewing on the horizon. It had a great, orderly dome shape to it that rose higher than the distant mountains to the west.

"Would you look at that," Soto said. "Amazing."

"Be on the lookout for enemies, corporal," Homura said.

"Sorry, ma'am. It's just-"

A great blast sent the transport 'hog rolling over again and again. A half-dozen marines went flying like ragdolls, right Homura's path. The magical girl swerved hard to the right as Soto clung to his seat for dear life.

They'd been ambushed! A Covenant artillery barrage bathed pristine savannah in flame-blue plasma bolts. Three, then four, then finally seven bolts arced through the air from due north. Homura drifted through the now-burning field while the rest of her convoy scattered.

"This is insane!" Soto screamed and clutched his assault rifle.

Homura had no time to admonish her charge; a gap through the artillery bombardment was closing fast. The Master Chief attempted to pull the handbrake and slide through this opening, but she miscalculated. Burning plasma evaporated the back half of the warthog. Homura and Corporal Soto were sent flying into a sandy depression which had been turned in part to glass by molten plasma.

* * *

The story's moved to Tasvo Highway, now, and will soon leave Earth itself behind. But first, we will be stepping in for one last flashback in on Kyoko's story.


End file.
